Otis w



0. W. DODGE.

COUPLING FOR DRAIN PIPES 0F STEAM HEATED DRYING CYLINDERS.

AIPLICATION FILED IUNE 28, 1916.

Patented July 15, 1919.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OEEICE.

oTIs W. DODGE, OE NEW YORK, N. Y. CHARLES W. STEVENS, ADMINISTRATOR or SAID oTIs W. DODGE, DECEAsED, AssIGNoR To WALTER BOWES Co. OE PORT CHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OE NEW JERSEY-` COUPLING FOR DRIN-PIPES 0F STEAMHEATED DRYNG-CYLINDERS.

Speccation of Letters Patent.'

Patented July 15, 1919.

Application filed J une 28, 1916. i Serial No. 106,388.

To all 'whom 'it may concern Beit known that I, OTIs WV. DODGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Couplings for Drain-Pipes of Steam-Heated Drying-CyL inders; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention is an improvement in apparatus such as described in my Patent No. 977,376 dated November 29, 1910, for removing moisture such as water Ofcondensation froln steam heated drying cylinders and the like. The object of thepresent invention is to provide a novel selfadjusting compensating `connection between the main drain pipe or reservoir within the drying cylinder and the discharge pipe 'which oonducts water therefrom to a point exterior to the cylinder, so that such connection will not be injuriously affected by slight eccentric displacement of such pipes, or relative axial inclination of one pipe to the other; such improvements also insure a simpler and more durable connection between the interior and exterior drain pipes or reservoir, and obviate or greatly lessen the liability of breakage of the pipe connections should the pipes become slightly eccentrically displaced or out of true axial alinement.

I will explain the invention more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate so much of the appa-V ratus as is necessary to impart a clear understanding of the invention.

In said drawings f Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevation through part of a steam heated drying cylinder showing the steam supply and drainage connections.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the coupling between the main and auxiliary drainage pipe Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2. V.

The drying cylinder 1 may be of any suitable construction, and is usually provided with heads having trunnions by which the cylinder may be rotatably mounted Ain suit able bearings as described in my Said4 patent.`

The trunnion l of the head lb is shown as hollow, and through this hollow trunnion steam is admitted into the cylinder and the Water of condensation is removed as hereinafter explained.

Mounted within such cylinder is a drain pipe 3 which may be supported on spiders as 2 attached to the heads of the cylinder, so that said pipe is supported axially of the cylinder; this pipe 3 may be closed at its end farthest removed from head 1h but is open at the end adjacent said head, and to this open end is usually connected a smaller discharge pipe as 3a which extends outwardly through the bore of the trunnion lc and is connected to an outer discharge pipe.

As shown the pipe 3a passes through the trunnion and into a chamber 8b in a casting 8 in the usual manner, said casting 8 being attached to the outer end of the trunnion by a. suitable stuffing box 10 that allows the trunnion to rotate while the casting remains stationary. The chamber 8h in casting 8 connects with a pipe 8D by which the water of condensation is conducted to any suitable point of discharge. The casting 8 has another chamber 8a beside chamber 8b, chamber 8fl being connected by a pipe 8e with a boiler or other suitable steam generator. The chamber 8a communicates with the borel of the trunnion lc through a. sleeve 8d attached to casting 8 and passing through the stuffing box 10 so that the cylinder can rotate w-hile the casting 8 is stationary.

Withip the cylinder and connected with the pipe 3, at ysuitable intervals apart, are the' inner ends of preferably convolutely bent pipes 3c. The outer end of each pipe 3 is connected to a scoop member` 3g; each scoop preferably being so constructed that all the material whichl is taken up by a scoop is vdirected into its pipe 3C and by the `latter ultimately delivered into the pipe 8. v

In practice I prefer to arrange a series of scoops 3g within the cylinder such series of scoopsv extending substantially in line the entire length of the cylinder; and as each scoop is'connected by its convolutely bent pipe `3c to the drain pipe 3 the scoops will take up water of condensation and discharge same into the pipe 3 as the scoops rotate with the cylinder, after the manner described in my patent aforesaid. The general construction and arrangement of the cylinder, drain and discharge pipes, convolute pipes and scoops shown in the drawings is fully described and claimed in my application.

It will be seen that vwhen the cylinder isY rotated in the proper direction any water in the cylinder vwill be picked up by the scoops 3g and directed to the pipes 3 and ultimately discharged thereby into the central pipe 3, from which the water will pass to the pipe 3a; and thence conducted through the trunnion lC to pipe SQ. It lsometimes happens that the pipe 3 becomes slightly eccentric to the cylinder or out of true alinement with the pipe 3a and as the outer end of the pipe 3a is confined in the casting 8 should the pipes 3, 3Z1 become slightly displaced or deflected axially a strain is produced upon the joint between the pipes 3 and 3, and it has sometimes happened that the connection which has been heretofore provided between these pipes has been broken and as a result the water is not properly discharged Vfrom the cylinder, and this causes great annoyance; and the object of my present invention is to provide a self adjusting compensating connection between the pipes3 and 3 within the cylinder which will prevent any breaking or leaking at the joint between pipes 3, Sain case they are not truly alined axially, or should become axially displaced or out of alinement for any reason after they are installed. F or thispurpose I preferably attach to the end of the pipe 3 a cap-shaped casting 7 adjacent the trunnion 1 which casting may be internally screw-threaded to engage the pipe 3 or otherwise water-tightly connected thereto so as to rotate therewith. This cap casting closes the end of the pipe 3 but it has an axial outlet opening 7b in its end, and is provided with a peripheral 'flange 7a on its outer end to which may be secured a 4cupped plate 7d having an axial opening 7f slightly larger in diameter than the pipe 3a and also having a flange 7e fitted against flange 7 "l and secured thereto by bolts'i7n. 1 The opposed faces of the cap 7 and cup plate 7 l are concaved and between them is formed a socket or chamber 7*? in which is confined a.ball-Inember 3 fast to the inner end of the pipea, said ball member being preferably provided with a threaded opening so that it can lbe screwed upon the end of the pipe 3LL as shown. The ball-member 3" and the opposed parts of the cap and cup plate between which itis confined forms practically a ball and socket connection between the pipes 3 and 3f. The side walls of the socket 7h in which the member 3 is confined are preferably concaved on `arcs slightly greater than the curvature of the arcs of the opposed faces of the ball-member 3 sce Fig. 2, so that a slight rocking motion is permitted the member 3? within the chamber 7h, and this periiiits slight axial displacement or angularity of the 'pipes` 3 and 3a relative to each other. This peculiar self adjusting compensating J'Ont between Pipes 3, 3. Permits Sufcent relative axial deflection of said pipes without putting any undue strain upon them or upon theconnections of pipe 31 with the cast-ing 8. This construction obviates any danger of the connectionbetween pipes 3, 3 breaking, and insures proper drainage of the water from the pipe 3v through pipe 3a to the outlet, and thus insures that the cylinder will be properly drained even if the pipes 3, 3 should be or become slightly eccentric to each other or out of alinement when the cylinder is in operation.

The pipes 3 and 3a are generally made of iron; the socket members 7, 71may be of cast iron and the ball-member 3 may be of bronze or brass. By means of this ball and socket connection the outer end of pipe 3fL (which in practice is about 30 inches long) might be deflected from one-half to threequarter inch'off the axial line of the drain pipe 3 without producing any injurious strain on its connection with the pipe 3.

In the practical operation yof various types of drying cylinders as heretofore made great trouble has been experienced in maintaining a proper connection between the discharge pipe and the scooping or draining means inside of the cylinder; my invention provides a flexible or self-compensating connection inside the drier between the scooping or draining means inside the cylinder and the discharge pipe leading out of the cylinder so that slight axial displacement of the parts, as'above mentioned, will not injuriously affect the connection.

This novel connection and location thereof facilitates assemblagel of the. parts, and also obviates any danger of breakage in case the workman in installing pipe 3 withinthe cylinder should fail to mount it accurately axially therein, or truly centrally thereof at both ends. The outside of the drying cylinder is always turned true, but there may be a variation inl thickness of its shell, and when the brackets 2 are secured therein, which is usually done from inside of the cylinder, the pipe3 might be slightly eccentric to the axis of' the cylinder; and while such eccentricity might not be sufficient to prevent making the ordinary rigid screw-threaded coupling connection between pipes 3 and 3a, yet if such connection was made and the pipes 3, 3a4 were not in true axial alinement or work out of such alinement an immediate strain would 'be put upon the connection which would ultimately produce breakage thereof and allow water of condensation to escape back into the cylinder insteadk of passing out of same, and

any such danger is entirely obviated by the present invention.

While I have described the invention as applied to apparatus of the character referred to in `my aforesaid Patent No. 977,376, it is applicable to other kind of driers in which the water of condensation is removed from a drain pipe or collector in the cylinder through an axial discharge pipe extending through one of the cylinder trunnions, and I do not consider the invention restricted to use with the said patented construction or the specific arrangement of parts shown in the drawings.

`What I claim is:

l. In combination with a drying cylinder having internal draining means, a discharge pipe extending outside the cylinder, and a compensating ball and socket connection within the cylinder between the internal draining means andthe inner end of the discharge pipe.

2. In combination with a drying cylinder having internal draining means, an axially disposed discharge pipe extending outside the cylinder, and a ball and socket connection within the cylinder between the draining means and the inner end of the discharge pipe.

3. In combination with a drying cylinder having internal draining means; an axially disposed discharge pipe extending through one of the cylinder trunnions, and a compensating ball and socket connection within the cylinder between the draining means and the inner end of said discharge pipe.

4L. In combination with a drying cylinder having an axially disposed drain pipe, and an axially disposed discharge pipe extending through one of the cylinder ends; of a self-adjusting compensating connection within the cylinder between the drain pipe and the inner end of the discharge pipe within the cylinder.

5. In combination with a steam heated cylinder having a hollow trunnion, an axially disposed drain pipe within the cylinder and a discharge pipe extending through the trunnion of a self-adjusting compensating connection within the cylinder between the inner end of the discharge pipe and the adjacent end of the drain pipe within the cylinder.l

6. In combination with a steam heated cylinder having an axially' disposed drain pipe, and an axially disposed discharge pipe extending through one of the cylinder ends, of a ball and socket joint connection within the cylinder between the drain and discharge pipes.

7. In combination with a steam heated cylinder having an axially disposed drain pipe within it and a discharge pipe extending out of the cylinder; of a cap attached to one end of the drain pipe, a cup-plate attached to the outer end of the cap, and a ball-member attached to the inner end of the discharge pipe and confined between the cap and the cup-plate and forming therewith a self-adjusting compensating ball and socket connection within the cylinder between the drain and discharge pipes.

8. In combination with a steam heated cylinder having a hollow trunnion, an axially disposed drain pipe within the cylinder, a discharge pipe extending through the trunnion, a cap attached to one end of the drain pipe, a cup-plate attached to the outer end of the cap, and a ball-member attached to the inner end of the discharge pipe and confined between the cap and the cup-plate and forming therewith a self-adjusting compensating ball and socket connection within the cylinder between the drain and discharge pipes.

. 9. In combination a cylinder, a pipe therein, a tubular cap adapted to be fitted to one end of said pipe and having an opening in its end, a recess in its outer face, and a flange surrounding said opening and recess; a

a cup-plate having a recess and an opening, and a flange surrounding the opening adapted to be bolted to the flange of the cap, the space between the opposed recessed faces ofthe cap and cup-plate forming a socket, a drain pipe extending out of the cylinder; and a ball-member fitted in said socket and adapted to be secured to the inner end of the drain pipe to form a yieldable compensating connection within the cylinder between said pipes.

10. In combination a cylinder, a pipe therein, a tubular cap adapted to be fitted to one end of the pipe and having a recess and an opening in its end, a recess in its outer end, and a flange surrounding the recess and opening; a cup-plate having an opening, and a iange adapted to be bolted to the flange of the cap-member, the space between the opposed recessed faces of the cap and cup-plate forming a socket, a drain pipe extending out of the cylinder; and a ballmember adjustably fitted in said socket and adapted to be secured to the end of said drain pipe within the cylinder whereby a yieldable compensating connection is formed between said pipes.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I affix my signature.

OTIS W. DODGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

A Washington, D. C. 

